Since 2006, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), the
Colorado State Unit on Aging (SUA), and the Consortium for Older Adult Wellness (COAW)
have worked in partnership to build infrastructure for community implementation of programs
from the Stanford Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) series in Colorado.
COAW, a private, non-profit organization, coordinates a statewide system of training,
implementation, fidelity assurance and technical assistance through which 1,437 individuals have
participated in CDSMP classes since February 2007. CDPHE and SUA build partnerships and
develop resources to enhance the system and expand implementation. Through this funding
opportunity, the partnership proposes to extend the reach of the CDSMP series to an additional
700 Coloradans over two years. Four local lead agencies will participate to build sustainable
capacity for class implementation through community-based organizations. These agencies
include Area Agencies on Aging serving Weld County, the six-county San Luis Valley region,
and the eight-county Denver Metro area, and the local health department in Larimer County.
These regions cover 67 percent of the state¿s population, and reach low-income and racial and
ethnic minority populations. As the lead state agency, CDPHE will ensure compliance with AoA and Recovery Act reporting requirements, monitor grant activities, execute and monitor contracts, provide technical assistance to the state partnership and local lead agencies, coordinate the established CDSMP
data system and lead an effort to establish health plan reimbursement. SUA, as co-lead, will
oversee grant implementation, provide technical assistance to the state partnership and local lead
agencies, and build referrals to CDSMP classes through Colorado¿s Aging and Disability
Resource Centers. The Colorado Department of Health Care Planning and Financing, which
houses the Colorado Medicaid Program, has agreed to promote CDSMP classes to the Medicaid
population through Single Entry Points and other mechanisms.